Plymouth Railway Circle

09/05/2026

This coming Monday is the final meeting of the season and we welcome our Publicity Officer Gareth Harrison who presents
"Photographic Review May 2025 - April 2026" in the first half and
"A look back through the Archives" in the second half.

Gareth will share his images from the last 12 months in the first half and then in the second half he delves into his archive of images from his time photographing trains as well some from the Harrison family archive.

Doors open at 7pm for a 7:30pm start time.
Entry fee: Members £1 & Visitors £2
St Edwards Church Hall, Home Park Avenue, Peverell.

Refreshments will be available in the interval with Chocolate Digestives to compliment your Tea or Coffee.

If you have not been before please do consider coming and supporting your local railway group, for £2.50 (entry & Cup of Tea) that is a bargain for an evening's entertainment, come and meet some fellow enthusiasts' you will be guaranteed of a warm welcome!

25/04/2026

This coming Monday is our next meeting when welcome James Waite who presents “Narrow Gauge Steam revisited in Europe and Africa between the 1970s to 2020s”

James’ very high quality images impressed us sufficiently to request he take time from his busy schedule to provide another excellent feature viewing steam in action along narrow gauge steam railways in more than 4 European countries (Portugal, Spain, France and the Netherlands), plus Kenya.. Steam Splendour in action!

Doors open at 7pm for a 7:30pm start time.
Entry fee: Members £1 & Visitors £2
St Edwards Church Hall, Home Park Avenue, Peverell.

Refreshments will be available in the interval with Chocolate Digestives to compliment your Tea or Coffee.

If you have not been before please do consider coming and supporting your local railway group, for £2.50 (entry & Cup of Tea) that is a bargain for an evening's entertainment, come and meet some fellow enthusiasts' you will be guaranteed of a warm welcome!

12/04/2026

We have listened to feedback received from members and as such here are the fixtures for the new season starting in September until Christmas. We hope to see as many members attend meetings and we would love to see some new members and guests are very welcome to all meetings.

Monday 7 September: Bernard Mills “The West Country in the era of steam: Part 2: The GWR”

Monday 21 September: Steven Andrews: The Privatisation Years Part 3: 1995-2010

Monday 5 October: John Fissler “The Looe Branch”
49 years after steam operation ceased on the Cornish branch to Looe, steam hauled specials were arranged, featuring Dennis Howells’ 0-6-0PT No. 9466, in September 2010 as part of the GWR 175th celebrations. Then in 2012 the newly restored GWS’ steam
rail motor no. 93 also ran on the branch. We take a look at some of these and associated workings plus regular movements. Signalling on the line is also featured.

Monday 19 October: Stuart Warr: “Railway Holidays in the West Country Part2; Devon and Somerset”
Postponed from last year and again in Spring this year, Stuart makes a welcome return for a presentation featuring steam and modern traction from his personal archive of photographs.
Stuart will certainly offer a trip down memory lane and share his stories alongside his ever- interesting photographs.

Monday November 2: AGM followed by President’s selection

Monday 16 November: John Brodribb: “East Anglian Traction during the Transition years.”
John’s speciality in railways of East Anglia affords views of the steam and early diesel and electric traction that featured during this interesting railway era.

Monday 30 November: John Mayell: “Past, Present and Future of the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway”
John is visiting us in his role as official speaker for the Gloucs/Warwicks Railway and will take us through the railway’s operations, fleet of locos and special events alongside how the
railway is adapting in meeting the challenges of the current year.

Monday December 14: The Mills Railway Year
Bernard presents his annual review of his photography from the past year, a PRC Christmas tradition since 1965.

04/04/2026

The season starts today for our friends at the Plym Valley Railway, please go along and support them if you can.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1DXzutm2Db/

We are excited to re-open for the 2026 season this Sunday!! Next weekend it's our Easter event with steam locomotive 'The Lord Oliver Brown Locomotive - TKh 5374' running services. Join us and travel to Plym Bridge!
Book Now
https://plymrail.digitickets.co.uk/event-tickets/66020?catID=63113&

03/04/2026

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01/04/2026

This coming Saturday and Sunday is the Easter Gala at the South Devon Railway. The Lee Moor Museum will be open both days. A small sale stand will be open as well selling a book about the locomotive and the line it worked, postcards and maps of the full route of the Lee Moor Tramway. Please do drop by and say hello to us.

27/03/2026

This coming Monday is our next meeting which is a change to our original speaker who is unable to attend, instead Bernard Mills presents “From Lostwithiel to the china clay country”

A then and now presentation from Lostwithiel looking at the great changes in the rails that have served the china clay industry over the years with an in depth look at a number of the former branch lines now nor more and in many cases their course has been eradicated. Journey will be from Lostwithiel to Fowey, on through Pinnock Tunnel to St Blazey with Judy and Alfred at work in Par Harbour.

​Thence to the Newquay branch calling in on the branches to Ponstmill, Carbean, Carbis Wharf, the Retew branch on to Newquay, a wide variation of motive power adds to the interest. Some unique and vary rare material to take in.

Doors open at 7pm for a 7:30pm start time.
Entry fee: Members £1 & Visitors £2
St Edwards Church Hall, Home Park Avenue, Peverell.

Refreshments will be available in the interval with Chocolate Digestives to compliment your Tea or Coffee.

If you have not been before please do consider coming and supporting your local railway group, for £2.50 (entry & Cup of Tea) that is a bargain for an evening's entertainment, come and meet some fellow enthusiasts' you will be guaranteed of a warm welcome!

14/03/2026

This coming Monday is our next meeting when we welcome our President Mervyn Kendall who presents “Four decades of the Rhatische Bahn”

Mervyn offers a thorough review of Switzerland’s Rhatische Bahn which is a fascinating system of railways which operates independently yet integrated with the SBB Swiss National Railways system. Expect superb landscapes and interesting operations alongside the modern and vintage stock that can still be seen in use alongside modernisation’s inevitable electric units.

Doors open 7pm for a 7.30pm start
Members £1
Visitors £2

St Edwards Church Hall
Home Park Ave
Peverell

Refreshments will be served in the interval with Chocolate Digestives to compliment your Tea or Coffee.

If you have not been before please come and give us a try, you will receive a warm welcome and meet with fellow rail enthusiasts.

15/02/2026

This coming Monday is our next meeting when we welcome Fixtures Secretary David Goodyear who presents "Diesel and Electric Motive Power on the Southern during the 1980’s to present”

David provides an illustrated Class-by-Class review of locomotives and diesel and electric units associated with British Railways Southern Region amidst classic Southern locations and along Heritage Railways where these trains can still be seen.

St Edwards Church Hall
Home Park Ave
Peverell
Plymouth

Doors open 7pm for a 7.30pm start time
Members £1
Visitors £2

Refreshments will be available in the interval, if you have not been before please do come and give us a try you will receive a warm welcome.

31/01/2026

This coming Monday is our next meeting when we welcome back Geoff Hudson who presents “The Class 50 Story: The British Rail Years”

Geoff shares an overview of the history and technical developments and aspects of the Class 50 locomotives. Look out for the relevance of Falcon and Lion! An in-depth presentation which evolves from Geoff’s previous versions of this theme. Geoff Hudson, former Area Fleet Manager at Laira Depot Plymouth, has had a close association with the class throughout his 50-year railway career and was responsible for the operation and rundown in their final years.

​In this lecture he explores the origin and development that lead to Class 50, their operation and maintenance, including the reasons for and scope of the extensive refurbishment programme, and the final years and rundown of the class that ultimately lead to preservation of a significant number of the fleet.

Last time Geoff visited us we had a full house, so arrive early to get a good seat.

Doors open at 7pm for a 7:30pm start time.
Entry fee: Members £1 & Visitors £2
St Edwards Church Hall, Home Park Avenue, Peverell.

Refreshments will be available in the interval with Chocolate Digestives to compliment your Tea or Coffee.

If you have not been before please do consider coming and supporting your local railway group, for £2.50 (entry & Cup of Tea) that is a bargain for an evening's entertainment, come and meet some fellow enthusiasts' you will be guaranteed of a warm welcome!